Author: ARLnow.com

Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. Started by a Pentagon City resident who has spent the past several years working in local TV news, ARLnow.com seeks to distinguish itself with original, enterprising, up-to-the-minute local coverage.

JUST IN: Police investigating early morning shooting in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com
Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)

A man was shot early this morning in Clarendon and police are still looking for the suspect.

The shooting happened around 2 a.m. at a parking lot along N. Highland Street, about 1-2 blocks from the Clarendon Metro station entrance.

It started as a dispute between two people, then ended with at least one shot being fired and the victim suffering a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to police.

More from an Arlington County police press release:

The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating a shooting that took place in the early morning hours of June 4, 2023.

At approximately 2:03 a.m., police were dispatched to the report of shots heard. Upon arrival, officers located the adult male victim in a parking lot in the 3000 block of Wilson Boulevard suffering from gunshot wounds and immediately began rendering aid. He was transported by medics to an area hospital for treatment of injuries considered non-life threatening.

The preliminary investigation indicates the victim and suspect were involved in a verbal dispute when the suspect followed the victim to the parking lot and discharged a firearm, striking the victim. The suspect is described as a Black male, approximately 5’5”-5’8” tall, 150-180 pounds and wearing a black leather jacket and black jeans. He fled the scene on a motorcycle following the shooting.

This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected] or anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). For additional community resources and contact information, visit our website.

Scanner traffic suggests that the suspect’s motorcycle may have been spotted heading south on I-95 at a high rate of speed.

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Jun 2, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Friday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 5266 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Jun 2, 2023.

  1. Morning Notes
  2. NOW: Rescue in progress after intoxicated person falls down creek embankment
  3. Preliminary review wraps up for new apartments planned near Courthouse
  4. Construction wraps up on second apartment tower in Pentagon Centre redevelopment

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  1. BREAKING: W-L senior and standout soccer player killed in Fairfax County double homicide (57847 views)
  2. ‘Nation’s only fast casual chicken salad restaurant’ to open Arlington location (13051 views)
  3. Arlington public safety call center to start using Amazon AI system for non-emergency calls (6157 views)
  4. Metro stations to close for Orange Line rail replacement work (4250 views)
  5. Florida man tries to bring handgun into DCA as banner year for confiscations continues (4098 views)
  6. Seven years after speaking out, a few residents of an affordable housing building say problems persist (3908 views)
  7. Peter Chang set to open new restaurant in Crystal City (3894 views)
  8. Arlington County responds to lawsuit alleging Missing Middle changes decided illegally (3616 views)
  9. Local eighth-grader to compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee finals tonight (3359 views)
  10. JUST IN: Police union endorses challenger for Commonwealth’s Attorney (2488 views)
  11. County Board member says delay of HQ2’s second phase likely only a year (2349 views)

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Saturday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

Here are the events planned for Sunday:

⛈️ Saturday’s forecast

A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. East wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. At night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, then a slight chance of showers between 9pm and 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. East wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The best revenge is massive success.”
– Frank Sinatra

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋

NOW: Rescue in progress after intoxicated person falls down creek embankment

By ARLnow.com
1/7

A water rescue operation is underway along Four Mile Run after reports of a drunk man falling down an embankment.

The incident happened shortly before 4 p.m. behind the Virginia DMV office at 4150 Four Mile Run Drive. Initial reports suggest that the man fell 20 feet onto rocks below, suffering possible broken bones in the process.

The man is said to conscious. Because he’s in a creek bed, the fire department is treating this as a water rescue and a large contingent of fire apparatus — including water rescue and technical rescue trucks and equipment — is responding to the scene.

Update at 4:55 p.m. — The man has been hoisted from the creekbed by firefighters, and is in the process of being loaded onto an ambulance and brought to a local hospital.

More frequent service Yellow Line service starting Sunday

By ARLnow.com
Watching the sunset while on a Metro train crossing the Yellow Line bridge over the Potomac (staff photo)

With the Yellow Line bridge and tunnel work complete, Metro is upping service on the line.

Starting Sunday, Yellow Line trains will arrive every eight minutes all day, the transit agency says. That applies to a number of Arlington stations, including National Airport, Crystal City, Pentagon City, and the Pentagon.

More, below, from a Metro press release.

Metro ridership is growing, and service improvements are coming to make Metro an even more convenient option for getting around the region. Beginning Sunday, June 4, trains serving the Yellow Line will arrive every 8 minutes all day, open to close, an improvement on the current late-night and weekend frequency of 12 minutes.

With the service improvements beginning Sunday, Yellow Line customers will enjoy less crowded trains and shorter waits – an average of four minutes where Yellow and Green line trains serve the downtown core between L’Enfant Plaza and Mt. Vernon Sq.

Ridership has rebounded on the Yellow Line, up 20 percent following an 8-month closure for construction to rehabilitate the Yellow Line tunnel and bridge. Since reopening, customers have taken more than a million trips on the Yellow Line, which operates between Huntington and Mt. Vernon Sq. stations, and 600,000 trips have been taken over the Yellow Line bridge. Ridership is increasing every week, and ridership at the newly opened Potomac Yard station has been strong with more than 25,000 trips taken to or from the station since it opened May 19.

Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, over 50,000 trips were taken to and from National and Dulles airports as customers took advantage of Metro’s convenient and affordable connection to air travel.

The service improvements coupled with ridership gains are driving a major turnaround for Metro. Starting next week, we’ll have 70 percent more trains in service during peak periods compared to last year, and a 54 percent increase in train trips. More than 17.5 million trips were taken on Metrorail and Metrobus in May, including a 20 percent increase on bus and 43 percent increase on rail over May 2022.

Metro is making frequent service improvements as it works to return more 7000-series trains to the tracks and recovers from a pandemic-driven shortage of train operators. The Yellow Line service improvements come one month after Metro boosted service on the Red Line during peak periods on May 8. Since then, ridership has increased while Red Line customers are enjoying a more comfortable ride in trains that are about 20 percent less crowded.

Metro customers will see additional service improvements later this month on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines.

Another Metro change is happening soon. Starting Monday, the north entrance to the Arlington Cemetery station is set to close for about three months due to canopy installation work.

Cartoon: Pickleball and privacy

By ARLnow.com
“This is the alleged lewd behavior in the woods guy. He’s claiming the new pickleball courts have intruded on his privacy.” (cartoon by Mike Mount)

In honor of the one-month anniversary of this article, we give you a new Mike Mount cartoon.

In case you don’t get the reference, it also riffs on some of the controversy over the Walter Reed pickleball courts.

There has been little additional news about the repeat indecent exposure suspect since our last article, though a few days later we did pick up some scanner traffic suggesting that police were actively working the case and might have identified a perpetrator.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A hazy sunset in Westover (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Cemetery Flyover This Morning — From Arlington National Cemetery: “[Friday] morning, around 11:00 a.m., there will be a flyover in support of a funeral.” [Twitter]

Gun Control Rally on Saturday — “Wear Orange is a time for everyone in our community to come together to show our collective power in addressing gun violence. Arlington Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America invite you to join us for a walk and rally on Saturday June 3, 2023 1:00pm – 4:00pm at Courthouse Plaza. 1-2pm- Gun Violence Awareness Walk to Clarendon Metro & back. 2-4pm- Rally to Honor the Victims and Survivors of Gun Violence.” [Event Calendar]

I-395 Exit Ramp Closure — “Starting Friday night, June 2, the southbound I-395/Route 1 Exit 8C bridge will be closed every Friday night through this fall for work related to the I-395/Route 1 Southbound Exit 8C Bridge Repairs Project… The southbound I-395/Route 1 Exit 8C ramp will be closed from midnight to 7 a.m.” [VDOT]

Maywood Burglary Suspect Arrested — “3300 block of 23rd Road N. At approximately 4:08 a.m. on June 1, police were dispatched to the late report of a breaking and entering. Upon arrival, it was determined at approximately 3:45 a.m., the known male suspect allegedly gained entry to the residence and approached the female victim. She pushed him away and notified another resident of the home who confronted the suspect and he left the residence.” [ACPD]

Sentencing for Fmr. WMATA Official — “An Arlington man was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Wednesday for his role in the manipulation of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s procurement process in favor of a company that was paid more than $1.3 million for items and services.” [Patch]

Free Donuts Today — “America runs on Dunkin’® and this National Donut Day, America runs on free donuts. On Friday, June 2, Dunkin’ die-hards and donut fans can enjoy a free classic donut of their choice, with any beverage purchase.” [Press Release]

How Much Delivery Drivers Really Make — “DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats may be convenient, but whether they’re a winning proposition for anybody can swing on a few dollars. The apps aren’t always transparent about who receives what share of the bill paid by customers. So The Washington Post conducted an experiment, placing identical orders on each app and then gathering receipts from all parties to see how each fared.” [Washington Post]

Air Quality Alert Amid Wildfire Smoke — “We have Code Orange #AirQuality throughout the #Baltimore & #DC region & it’s also forecasted for tomorrow, 6/2. Kids, older adults, & others w/health concerns should limit time outside.” [Twitter, Capital Weather Gang]

It’s Friday — Sunny and hot, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind becoming east 5 to 8 mph in the morning. At night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. [Weather.gov]

Listing of the Day: 620 N Tazewell Street

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Address: 620 N Tazewell Street
Neighborhood: Townes of Ballston
Type: 3 BR, 2 (+2 half) BA townhouse – 1,810 sq. ft.
Listed: $1,050,000

Noteworthy: Steps away from Target and Good Company Doughnuts!

Rare opportunity for an updated townhome in the heart of Ballston.

Meticulously maintained and upgraded over the years, this quiet retreat offers 3 large bedrooms, including a top floor owner’s suite and custom walk-in closet with a large private deck overlooking the incredible courtyard entry. The other 2 bedrooms share a tub/shower combo with a private vanity and commode on each side. The home is primarily hardwoods with new fixtures, new appliances and much more.

Just outside the lower-level door is an attached garage with parking for two vehicles and bike storage conveys, plus zoned street parking and visitor passes. This home is steps away from the new Target, the famous Good Company Doughnuts & Café, and the new Ballston Quarter shops, restaurants, and work-out facilities. In a commuter’s dream location, you’ll find easy access to Route 50 and I-66 with the Ballston metro station being a mere 2 blocks away.

These true 3 bedroom units in the Townes of Ballston community don’t come up often and won’t last long.

Tour today!

Listed by:
James Corry — James Corry Real Estate Services LLC
KW Metro Center
[email protected]
(561) 389-3111

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Jun 1, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 4853 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Jun 1, 2023.

  1. Morning Notes
  2. Plans for more apartments and retail on Crystal Towers site enter home stretch
  3. Gas leak prompts partial closure of Columbia Pike
  4. Local eighth-grader to compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee finals tonight

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

☀️ Friday’s forecast

Sunny, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind becoming east 5 to 8 mph in the morning. At night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
– Edmund Burke

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

Most and least expensive condos sold in Arlington (May-Jun 2023)

By ARLnow.com

This past week saw 57 homes sold in Arlington.

The least expensive condo, single-family home or townhouse sale over the past seven days was $169,000 while the most expensive was $2,150,000.

Over the past month, meanwhile, a total of 136 condos were sold. Let’s take a look at some of the most and least expensive condos sold over the past month.

Most expensive condos sold

  1. 1881 N Nash Street #TS08 — $2,225,000 (2 Beds | 2.5 Baths | 2,039 SQ FT)
  2. 1781 N Pierce Street — $1,748,000 (2 Beds | 2 Baths | 2,022 SQ FT)
  3. 1600 Clarendon Boulevard #W307 — $1,732,000 (2 Beds | 3 Baths | 2,968 SQ FT)
  4. 1111 19th Street N #2406 — $1,625,000 (2 Beds | 2.5 Baths | 1,523 SQ FT)
  5. 3625 10th Street N #904 — $1,200,000 (2 Beds | 2.5 Baths | 1,855 SQ FT)

Least expensive condos sold

  1. 4600 S Four Mile Run Drive #133 — $157,000 (Studio | 1 Bath | 546 SQ FT)
  2. 4600 S Four Mile Run Drive #712 — $169,000 (Studio | 1 Bath | 568 SQ FT)
  3. 5101 8th Road S #413 — $180,000 (1 Bed | 1 Bath | 789 SQ FT)

Gas leak prompts partial closure of Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com
Gas leak and closure along Columbia Pike

The westbound lanes of Columbia Pike are closed near Penrose Square due to a gas leak.

It appears that a construction crew working in the roadway struck a gas line. Police, firefighters and Washington Gas crews have responded to the scene.

As a result, westbound traffic is being diverted onto S. Barton Street, according to scanner traffic. One lane of eastbound traffic remains open.

It is not immediately clear how long the closure will last.

Arlington has seen a spate of gas line ruptures recently, mostly due to construction activity. S. Walter Reed Drive was completely blocked for a period of time on May 19 and two separate road closures for gas leaks, in Westover and Halls Hill, were reported on May 30.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Aerial view of Crystal City, Pentagon City, National Airport and D.C. (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)

Update on Delayed Rosslyn Development — “The approved Arlington County site plan setting up the eventual demolition of two obsolete office buildings — one home to the Deep Throat garage key to the Watergate investigation — and replacement with a pair of office and residential towers is days from expiring. Monday Properties could secure its third extension for the project encompassing 1401 Wilson Blvd. and 1400 Key Blvd. during the June Arlington Board meeting… More importantly, it appears Monday is finally gearing up to start work on the project.” [Washington Business Journal]

Flagging Ranked Choice Mistakes — “Let’s say you have messed – yes, that’s a good PG-rated word – up your ballot in the June 20 primary, perhaps owing to the stress of trying to get the new ranked-choice-voting process correct. What happens then? It depends, in large part, whether you are voting in person (whether early or on the 20th) or by mail.” [Gazette Leader]

Union Kitchen Boycott — “Workers at five Union Kitchen locations in DC and Virginia democratically voted to unionize but were not officially recognized until June of last year, after a lengthy legal battle… This Thursday, UFCW Local 400 Union and a coalition of 20 supporting organizations — including Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO — will hold a press conference to announce a consumer boycott of Union Kitchen stores.” [Metro Washington Labor Council]

Airports Authority Fights More Flights — “National Airport is home to the busiest airport runway in the nation, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is promoting the data to defeat efforts at bringing more flights there. Reagan National’s main runway – dubbed Runway 01/19 – each day handles an average of 819 scheduled commercial operations. The only other runway that comes close is Runway 07L/025R at Los Angeles International Airport.” [Gazette Leader]

County Board Candidates on Education — “Ahead of the Democratic primary on June 20th, we reached out to the county board candidates and asked about issues impacting APS and Arlington students. Their responses are shared below.” [Arlington Parents for Education]

One Month from New Water Free, Trash Rate — “Effective July 1, residential customers will see the combined quarterly base charges for water and sewer increasing by $5.04 to $29.89 per quarter, as approved in the County’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget. Similar increases will be seen for multi-family and commercial accounts. The sewer use rate will remain unchanged but the annual household solid waste rate will increase from $307.89 to $406.14.” [Arlington County]

Tolerable Summer Heat Predicted — “Looking ahead to June through August, we anticipate plenty of heat and humidity. Still, we expect a summer fairly similar to the last two, which were not especially brutal. They were close to average, without the relentless heat that is the hallmark of our most memorably oppressive summers. Neither summer saw the mercury reach the century mark.” [Washington Post]

It’s June — Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Northeast wind around 7 mph. At night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. [Weather.gov]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

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